Keith Addenbrooke

8 hours ago, Wendell1976 said:

I had just learned about this a few hours ago. Jim Hediger, a longtime senior editor for Model Railroader magazine, passed away on February 9, 2024 at the age of 81. He was part of the Model Railroader staff for 43 years. Hediger wrote more than 750 stories, columns, and reviews for MR and built a nice double deck layout called the Ohio Southern.

https://www.trains.com/mrr/news-reviews/news/in-memoriam-jim-hediger/

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/james-hediger-obituary?id=54339022

 

Wendell

Idaho, USA

Hi Wendell, thank you for posting this here.  Like many fans of American Model Railroading I guess, Jim Hediger's name will always be associated in my mind with a golden era for MRR magazine. 

As a youngster reading my Dad's copy of the magazine, I never realised the Ohio Southern wasn't a real railroad, it was that impressive.  In particular I well remember an article in which he explained how he devised a large 'X-shaped' frame to support the upper level of his double deck layout.  That kind of thinking just blew me away!

Another sad loss to the hobby, Keith.

Just watched a couple of videos of the layout at the Erith 2024 show (thank you for the pointer).  Absolutely loved the way the layout comes across - the videos really capture the spaciousness of the model*.  Some brilliant detailed modelling too, a lot to see around the tracks.  Very impressed.  Thanks, Keith.

(* I note in the audio I can hear an explanation that even still there had to be length compression of this US prototype to fit)

Just curious - which firm is ‘the Dutch firm’ ?  It’s probably obvious, but doesn’t come to mind, sorry.  Keith.

9 hours ago, YT-1300 said:

Thank you CK, I just let those comments go over my head, I find it funny that some people can be so blinkered.  I had a chat at the same exhibition with a guy who asked why I didn't do Union Pacific, Santa Fe or CSX, my reply was because most people who do US models go for the big roads, I wanted to model a railroad that's not seen very often, and it required a lot of research to get even the basics right. 

Sorry, that final phrase made me smile - @F-UnitMad and @Oldddudders especially have done quite a lot to educate me about The Rock, which (my words) could almost be described as a Railroad which managed to get even the basics wrong - hence requires more effort as a modeller to portray it “right”.

8 hours ago, fulton said:

My knowledge of the hobby outside of the UK is limited to North America and Germany, modellers there, in my experience are just as parochial as here in the UK, they mostly like what they can see around them or have a personal connection to. I exhibit both UK and American layouts, some enthusiasts can be rude, but the general public seem to appreciate both layouts.

Must admit, your HO Florida switching layout is one I would love to have the chance to see - looks excellent in the photos here on RMweb.  Certainly the sort of layout I’d expect to happily spend a long time watching, Keith.

With some free time I searched out this thread after seeing a reference to it by @Oldddudders .  I don't often venture into this part of RMweb, so it's been interesting reading, thank you to all, and to @TEAMYAKIMA for the prompt.

Much to agree with in many posts (I am a fan of standard and narrow gauge US and 'Continental' model railways), but if I could add an experience I had a couple of years ago that hasn't been covered:

I was building up a collection for a possible European project and saw a layout of that prototype would be at a show I was going to. I sought it out, had a good chat with the exhibitor and (with their permission) took some photos.

What I didn't let on was that I didn't get the spark I was hoping for.  Nothing wrong with their layout at all, it just didn't 'do it' for me.

My point: seeing a good quality model of a prototype I was interested in (and still like) was a good use of my time, but on that occasion encouraged me to look at something else to pursue.

Another Continental layout making its debut at the same show (so I hadn't heard of) captivated me.  It's not of a prototype I plan to model, but I really enjoyed it, and the approach taken, and standard achieved, really caught my attention and interest.  I don't think a UK layout would have had the same effect - it took something different.

In other words, from a modeller's perspective, exhibitions can also serve as a good place for research, sometimes with interesting results.  Layouts of different / overseas prototypes have much to offer here.  Just a thought.

My only other comment is to say a big "THANK YOU!" to everyone involved in the exhibition circuit for all you do, so much of it behind the scenes.  It really is appreciated, and I wouldn't want that to get lost in some of the reactions people have had that have been mentioned above.

Hope that's OK, Keith.

I only set myself the limited objective this week of adding the lining to the roof trim - mainly so as not to rush!

I didn’t try lining the inside edges of the trim - but settled instead for a result I can be happy with by just doing the outward facing side of each piece and concentrating on getting it as good as I could.  For someone as bad at painting as I am, this is better than I could have hoped for.  Have a good week, Keith.

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

That was part of it (not helped by the fact that the fiddle yard had to be removable to give access to the garage in which the layout lived - whadda mistake-a to make-a). Mostly, though, the problem was with sending trains to and from myself, which is something I've always disliked.

Good point - solo games of ping-pong may provide lots of exercise, but the novelty soon wears off.

If you’ll forgive me using your experience as a case study again, I suppose there’s an argument for swapping it all over and suggesting the station part could be the removable section in similar circumstances - as long as the fiddle yard has capacity for all the rolling stock, it might be better off as the fixed section.  The station could then be stored over the fiddle yard and act as a dust cover?  Seems counterintuitive but there could be some inverted logic in the idea. Just a thought, Keith.

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

I agree. I once built a fairly large double track, four-platform terminus running to a four-road fiddle yard. Operation soon became tiresome.

I wonder if the lack of sustained interest might have been partly a consequence of having four platforms and the same number of fiddle yard roads - a more typical model railway arrangement can be to have eight (or twelve) fiddle yard roads for a four platform station, so a greater variety of trains can be run in and out?  Just a thought, Keith.

(…which maybe leads to the question as to whether the same boredom might set in with the operating scheme as we understand was originally envisaged for CJF’s Minories as an in / out Commuter station???)

Very ingenious - the Barry Slip makes it into the ultimate space-saving switchback layout!  Impressed, Keith.

Progress has been both forwards and backwards since my last post.  First thing I noticed were some extra floor pieces in the box - presumably for use if the separate shop interior kit was also being modelled (which I don’t have).  Nevertheless, it made sense to swap the plain floor I’d used for the planked one before proceeding further:

Next job was to add some interior walls for the shop fronts and then roof edge trim, handily supplied in ‘peel and stick’ strips:

All seemed good so far (roof added for photos only - not fixed in place):

Anticipating that the building could soak up a lot of paint, I decided to spray it.  I’m very new to spray painting and just have a couple of rattle cans, but with plastic kits I’m finding they can bring out the relief in mouldings very effectively:

Unfortunately, with this wooden kit it showed up the places where the gaps between pieces were just too large, plus one end had curled quite noticeably, despite my trying to spray both the insides and outsides of the kit to minimise this effect:

After pondering my options, I decided the only course of action was to gently prise it apart and rebuild.  Fortunately the glue I’d used meant that was possible, and I was soon back to a pile of pieces:

One perk of my job is that it comes with a lot of heavy books, so the springy base pieces spent a few days in the Study being flattened before reassembly:

I then proceeded more slowly than the first time round:

And built the interior strengthening walls before adding the exterior:

Finally, the outside walls were put back in place, and the exterior brush painted with Humbrol #34:

This side wall / base joint isn’t perfect, but much improved, and it all seems to be staying in shape ready for the next stage.  I may pick out the roof trim in a different colour to match the original, then it’ll be the windows.  Until next time, Keith.

Enjoyed the video - Bruce Chubb’s Sunset Valley RR (the original one as in his book) is easily one of my favourite all time layouts.  I like the way you explain for any US viewers how layout space works out in the UK.  Good stuff, Keith.

Some very impressive scenic modelling there - taking full advantage of O-Scale, Keith.

On 22/01/2024 at 19:30, Artless Bodger said:

After a search I have found the puzzle, there's one in the Scinece Museum collection, link:

 

https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8003850/the-kings-regiment-jigsaw-puzzle

 

I remembered wrongly, it is emerging, not entering the tunnel.

 

Thanks for reviving a good memory!

Good to see from the box it’s “Fully interlocking” - must be reassuring to the loco crew at that speed 😀, Keith.

As an indication of just how many Orders Hattons processed during the Closing Down / Clearance Sale, I’ve had a look at the order numbers on my final purchases:

On the evening of Mon 8th Jan, the day closure was announced, I placed a Trunk Order at 8.45pm - Order No. 6153785

At around midnight I drew stumps for the day and shipped my Trunk - Order No. 6155445 (ie: 1,660 Orders later).

It’s no surprise they were so busy that evening if people were reacting to the closure notice.  The 30%+ discounts had already been activated, though I don’t know how many Orders would have normally been placed on a typical Monday evening.

On the final day of trading, I decided at the last minute to buy one of the remaining items (post on page 44).  My final final order was placed in the last quarter hour of trading, just after 1.45pm on 31st Jan - Order No. 6177614.

That Order number is 23,829 after the first one I placed on 8th Jan.  Again, I don’t know how many Orders Hattons would have expected to process during three weeks in January, but it gives an indication of the volume of orders being processed by a staff team that appears to have been diminishing (based on the ‘earlier end to trading’ announcement).

It’s no surprise to me that the last box to arrive wasn’t the usual size under the circumstances, Keith.

Do the Jägerndorfer models have the option of power through the overhead?  I don’t think the newer Roco ones do, but my older BR 140 has that option, so I’m thinking this legacy would naturally lead to Roco pantographs being more robust?

Just a thought - afraid I don’t know much about overhead wiring and pantographs…yet 😀, Keith.

5 hours ago, saxokid said:

Night running video with DRS class 57309  running passed freight yard during night session..

let me no guys what you think..

 

Hi there, you invite our thoughts, so I hope it’s OK to share a question I was asked too:

It’s only as life has begun to settle down that I’ve become more active as a modeller, even though I’ve been in and around the hobby almost all my life.  When it came to practical skills and experience, I therefore classed myself as a newbie / beginner, but was soon being asked when I would graduate from this ‘level’ and just be a ‘modeller’?

Looking at the standard on this layout, in terms of scenery and detailing, upgrading the ballasting and track work (including the layout design), and the enthusiasm with which it is all being tackled, makes we wonder here too?  While it’s still a first layout project, the team are clearly learning fast and producing modelling up to exhibition standard.  The only ‘clue’ this is a first project would appear to be the use of Setrack - but as that was inherited I’d say it was more about giving the team a head start.

In my case, I set myself some clear objectives - things I wanted to try (and some I wasn’t so interest in).  Once they were done, I ‘graduated’.  I still have a lot to learn, but we always will.  Just wondered?  Hope that’s OK, Keith.

Having placed my ‘final’ Hattons Order a couple of weeks ago, just after the closure announcement, I have now also received my ‘final final’ Order - the one placed on the last trading day when the last few items were being cleared, just before the website shut down: An H0 Bachmann Continental Signal Box (Stellwerk):

I do need a signal box, but would have expected to kit build one.  Although much more of my recent trading has been with Contikits and Rails of Sheffield (and bits elsewhere), there is still undoubtedly a sentimental aspect to this purchase though - a final final farewell to a good friend of many years.

My own take on the discussion around the economics of Hattons Closure - and how it has influenced my current purchasing decisions - is in a blog I posted yesterday if anyone wants a look.  Thanks, Keith. 

2 hours ago, James Hilton said:

Good question, and I’ve been picked up on the station signs when attempting to pull off a 70s view previously. 
Signalling is not something I have considered, no - it’s interesting, as you say, because in this instance they’d be off stage anyway. RETB is certainly a good excuse when running 37s, less so with the 26.

While most signals could have been off-stage, with the low bridge might there have been a repeater for visibility on the station side?  Sorry if it messes things up - I just wondered, Keith.

On 18/01/2024 at 08:23, Keith Addenbrooke said:

Some great photos - reminds me I must call into the Clubrooms and have a look!  Keith.

On 19/01/2024 at 08:36, saxokid said:

Yer pop in soon keith 👍👍

On 23/01/2024 at 03:18, saxokid said:

Weve now got x2 more new guys joining our growing group on this 00 gauge build at Merseyside model railway society.

we have open evenings  every 1st friday of the month.

if anyone on here is local wants to pop long your very welcome..

Delighted to say I was free yesterday to book in to the Feb ‘24 open evening.  The layout looks great and the test trains I saw ran very smoothly.  The team look to be doing a really good job with the layout they inherited, and it was interesting to note this layout was the one that drew the crowd, especially (but not only) among the younger folk present.  The now famous yard lighting towers @saxokid has scratchbuilt also deserve the plaudits they’ve been getting.  

My thanks to @saxokid and the team - an enjoyable evening with a club where there is plenty going on, Keith. 

As @PJT, @MattR, @Steamport Southport and others have commented / confessed, watching the new listings appear was all too often part of the daily routine - nicely timed to coincide with a tea break (or was it the other way round? - I forget).

While there were bargains I missed out on while taking a few minutes to check something out, for me the game worked both ways: when items I had sold to Hattons Pre-owned appeared, there would be the satisfaction of seeing something that used to be mine get snapped up quickly (“see - I told you it was good”).  
 

Although there was the time a loco I had traded on sat there for weeks.  I felt a bit miffed, to be honest.  All it was missing was the original box (which I’d never had).

Having taken delivery of my final order a couple of weeks ago, I now await arrival of my final, final order from the last day clearance, Keith.

Hi @Chris Williamson - you held it in place for an hour!  You put me to shame: I give up after ten minutes holding parts in place hoping the glue will stick.  I’m currently re-doing a building that failed QC first time round because I wasn’t careful / patient enough.  Reading your post made me feel guilty enough to go and check on progress - any bits that hadn’t set were addressed with superglue.  Very impressed, Keith.

1 hour ago, James Hilton said:

Thank you - those words of appreciation are incredibly kind. I am sure I will continue to enjoy it for as long as it feels relevant in my life.
 

This made me think about something I’d like to address about the ‘traditional’ view of the hobby.

 

The idea of a layout for life is not something I believe helps us - certainly not me. Whilst this layout holds personal and sentimental qualities it and is largely ‘complete’ it will one day be ‘finished’ too, finished in the way I can move on. Sometimes finished is a few months, sometimes a few years… perhaps longer. That said, it will be finished and I will be left with the photographs, the memories and the art will live on.

 

A good friend, Chris, and I have tried to talk this through in a blog post previously that might help:

https://paxton-road.blogspot.com/2021/12/hilton-and-mears-complete-or-finished.html

Some interesting reflections - thank you for the link to the blog post.  I also followed an in-post link to an earlier Hilton / Mears discussion on Motivation and Inspiration that made for another good read too.  

I can appreciate @LowerUphamMike’s sentiment - “do hold on to this one” - as sometimes we can be too quick to move on.  I can think of a couple of times I’ve sold up when a project has faltered and then wondered if it really was the right thing to do, and that’s long before I reached this stage!  There is a reason we store away treasures (and memories) to relive another day.

On the other hand, as @James Hilton explains in the blog, there is a personal, emotional definition of complete / finished that may not have meaning to anyone else, but is truly right for us.  I think of a project I started a few years ago that didn’t end up in me building a layout: I got all the enjoyment I was after from the online research, so felt no need to do any more.  On that occasion I sold up without any regrets.

We’re currently in the process of moving house, to a smaller, more accessible property, but one with far less storage space.  Everything is being sorted - including my model railway collection(s).  There are some things I’ve come across where my first reaction is to tell myself these are things I must hold on to.  But once I’ve enjoyed the memories associated with them once more, I know it’ll be OK to let them go.  After all, it’s not as if I’m running out of things to make, or ideas to explore.  

At the end of the day, I know there are still more memories to make up ahead too, Keith.

Must admit I read this thread with some relief - having also recently bought an older Fleischmann loco:

I don’t have any testing equipment to check voltage or current / power.  Fortunately both of my controllers just happen to be Gaugemaster Combi models which @D9020 Nimbus notes should be OK.

In my case I bought the controllers as they were recommended to me for H0e use.

A very useful thread for those of us buying second hand - thank you to @MattR and all the contributors: lack of controller power wasn’t something I’d factored into my purchase decision!  Keith.

6 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

 

This is what I see using all Streamline Medium turnouts with no tricksy angles:

 

The ladder starts on the right exactly on one of the blue 1ft grid lines and all parts are butted exactly together. A thin white line shows where the two 3ft 6in boards join and you can see that the last turnout overhangs that line. You can also see that the basic 12° geometry doesn't slew the track across enough or at the right angle to feed Platform 3.

 

I have complete faith in my turnout templates because they proved to be very accurate when I used 1:1 printouts to lay down my Minories. (And that process taught me that I should even have allowed for the extra length caused by insulating joiners!)

 

Thanks for this Phil - a helpful reminder to check, check and check again before cutting wood!  

A few months ago I put together a baseboard for a particular space where the optimum length for a staging yard board worked out at 7’2.5” - hardly a standard size, but repeated re-measuring confirmed it was what would work, so it’s what I made.

Incidentally, there’ll probably be someone here who can tell us if the design / length of the Peco Streamline points has ever changed since they were introduced many years ago.  If there have been any changes, it means the geometry won’t have been constant.  Just a thought, Keith.

26 minutes ago, kevinlms said:

Even the Garratt boiler/cab sections are disappearing.

 

I hadn't noticed the Code 83 Unifrog diamond crossings before - only 240 to go!

 

 

21 minutes ago, melmerby said:

They must have been added as there wasn't much code 83 a while back

I think those crossings have been flying under the radar, as they were there a couple of weeks ago (I mentioned them in a post on 14th Jan, page 28).  Mindyou, there were 293 then, so looks like 50+ have sold in the last fortnight or so.  Not bad for a product I wouldn’t have thought was a natural high demand / impulse buy item.

After monitoring the website even more closely than usual (like many of us have been), I’ve placed a final Order just-in-time for a Bachman H0 Signal Box - an item I do actually have a use for.  It will be a poignant moment when it arrives.

Sad to note of course that the word “usual” from my last sentence no longer applies.  Looks like the website has now closed as planned at 2pm.  My best wishes and thanks to all the staff, Keith.